tlg times summer

Issue 9 Summer 2016

FESTIVALSSUMMERCULTURE

T I M E S

3

3. INTRODUCTION

4. VOX POP Tell us about a popular festival in your country

6. FESTIVALS AND TRADITIONS

7. STUDENT FEEDBACK

CONTENTS

2

9. SMART LEARNING

10. TLG TORONTO AND LONDON 10. GO OUT & ABOUT

14. TLG AROUND THE WORLD

4

Dear students,

Welcome to the Summer edition of the TLG Times! Many of you will soon be leaving us, either to go back home with new language skills or to begin your career somewhere new. We wish all of you the very best of luck!

This is the second summer of TLG Juniors’ summer camps, where young people can learn how to play football with coaches from Liverpool Football Club as well as improving their English skills and sports leadership. We’re all sure that this summer will be even better than the last.

In this issue, you can find out about what’s been happening at the London campus and discover other students’ cultural traditions and festivals.

Happy reading!

Simon PowerTLG Managing Director

INTRODUCTION

3

5

VOX POP“It’s a big party, all the population goes out in the street. I go every year, it’s a really amazing place.”

4

65

TELL US ABOUT A POPULARFESTIVAL IN YOUR COUNTRY“We have two big carnivals in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is the biggest; it has a lot of people and people from other countries come to Brazil to see the festival. A lot of people go to the streets and put on masks. The people are so friendly; they talk with you, and drink!

It depends on the year, but the Carnaval is common in February or March. Next year I think it’s 22nd February. It’s so nice, really!”

– Rodrigo, Brazil (TLG Manchester)

“There are five main festivals, or carnivals, in Colombia. One of them is Barranquillas Carnival, in the north of Colombia – it’s so hot, it’s nice. The previous carnivals lasted maybe one month, and the main carnival for maybe two or three weeks. It’s a big party, all the population goes out in the street. I go every year, it’s a really amazing place.”

– Jhon, Colombia (TLG Manchester)

“Summer in Japan is the season of fireworks! Hundreds of firework shows are held every year from late July to late August. People dress in ‘yukata’ and streets are lined with food and game stalls. The fireworks are lit after sunset and last one to two hours.”

– Kento, Japan (TLG London)

“The biggest celebration in Iran is called Norooz. It marks the first day of spring. We have 2 weeks holiday. The 13th day of the new year is called “Bedar”, and people spend the day mostly outdoors. People will go to the parks or local plains for a festive picnic.”

– Farima Maghrebi, Iran (TLG London)

“The best festival for me is Newroz. It’s a Kurdish tradition and common in the east of Turkey, especially where I live in Ankara. Everyone marches in the street then goes to see people play music. 2 billion people partake in it and many people from Europe come as well.”

– Agit, Turkey (TLG Toronto)

“I love the Holy Festival. It’s a big music festival that has dance and pop playing all the time. It’s just for young people and there’re lots of people that throw paint around while they dance to the music they like.”

– Michela, Italy (TLG Toronto)

76

FESTIVALS AND TRADITIONS

THE JUNINA PARTY

In 1500, during the Brazilian colonisation by Portugal, a great amount of European characteristics were taken to Brazil. One of these is the Junina Party.

At the beginning, the Junina parties aimed to celebrate Saint John’s day which takes place every June 24th. However, this celebration became bigger in Brazil and started to be a celebration of the Catholic Church. It pays homage to three saints - St Antony, St John, and St Peter - all in June, hence the party is named “Junina”.

Every year throughout the month of June, many Junina parties can be found in almost all Brazilian cities. People dress in specific colours and have a fun time dancing next to a big fire pit. There are typical foods made from corn such as cakes, soups, tamales, popcorn, baked corn and others. There are also games and fireworks.

It is a really good time to spend with our family and having fun with friends!

- Hugo, Brazil (TLG London)

DÍA DE MUERTOS

In Mexico, one of the most popular traditions is Día de Muertos or ‘Day of the Dead’.

We do this to commemorate our relatives that died. We get together with our family and then go to the cemetery. Some people even eat dinner and have long conversations all night there too!

It’s not to make fun of our family that have died—it’s to celebrate together with family and learn not to fear death. Many people paint their face like a skeleton and have special parties.

The big event for most people is to cook the food that the people that passed away liked. We eat that, light candles, lay out flowers of those that died, and just spend a good time with family and spirits together.

- Irving, Mexico (TLG Toronto)

87

TLG MANCHESTER

Would you recommend TLG to your friends?

100% of our students said that they would recommend us to their friends. Thank you!

They said they’d recommend us because:

“It’s very interesting.” Olzhas, Kazakhstan

“The teachers are well-prepared and the staff is very friendly.” Paolo, Italy

“It’s [a] really very good program for improving English. Due to this course I got new knowledge, found new friends and improved my level.” Violetta, Kazakhstan

“Other students are friendly and we can play billiards.” Jérémy, France

“Students are friendly, good and fun. It’s good! Lessons are interesting.” Ahmed, Saudi Arabia

Your comments

You mentioned that students should try to only speak English in student areas: we are making huge efforts to push the use of English at all times in the school from the very first day onwards.

You wanted clearer information about SMART learning and the social programme: we have created bigger and better noticeboards, easier sign-ups, and a wider variety of activities to get involved in.

You said that classes were becoming overcrowded: we have recruited more teachers and opened more classes.

TLG LONDON

We asked students if they would recommend TLG to their friends. Nearly everybody said yes, and we received these comments:

“You can meet new people, speak English and learn new cultures.” Elisa, Italy

“The methodology is good, the price is fair and the staff, including the teachers, are very nice and helpful.” Patricia, Brazil

“Very friendly and helpful people (students + teachers).” Celine, France

“It is a school that cares about students.” Isabel, Brazil

“Because I improved my English, I met with nice people and I enjoyed London.” Marta, Spain

When we asked what they liked about their classes, our students said:

“I liked the way of teaching.” Dahir, Somalia

“I like the environment of study. I feel happy and also learn lots of things.” Zening, China

“It’s the whole process of the lessons. It was effective, useful. All of teachers tried to find the right way to each student.” German, Russia

When we asked our students what we could improve, they suggested:

“More excursions outside or together” and “More SP [Social Programme] and SL [Smart Learning] activities in the park.”

So, we recruited a Smart Learning Co-ordinator and now run a SMART Trip every Thursday. So far we’ve organised a picnic, a rounders game, and the chance to see London and experience a pub atmosphere on a riverboat!

Other SMART Trips this summer include Shakespeare’s Globe and the Greenwich Royal Observatory.

We hope you continue to enjoy your studies at TLG, whichever campus you’re attending!

STUDENT FEEDBACK

109

At The Language Gallery, we know that you learn better when you feel confident and have fun, so we created SMART Learning.

SMART Learning means that the whole school studies a similar topic every week. That means everybody has something to talk about, no matter their level of English.

With SMART Learning, you will:

• make faster progress through free activities in addition to your lessons

• put what you learn into practise on our SMART Trips

• make more friends

• experience the UK or Canada through our events

We care about your learning and social experience, so join our community: come and be a SMART Learner!

SMART LEARNING

11

TLG TORONTO AND LONDONGo Out & About

10

1211

TORONTO

As the weather has become warmer, the Toronto campus has been a hotbed of academic and extracurricular endeavours.

In class, students have been achieving a great number of skills and were rewarded by their teachers for their accomplishments, such as teacher Sally’s awards ceremony.

Students also took part in Canadian holidays such as Victoria Day and Canada Day, learning more about Canadian history while building their English skills. They also took their studies outside the classroom with trips to the Ontario Provincial Legislature at Queen’s Park and to High Park, where TLG staff hosted activities and picnics.

This season, we have seen lots of students from countries like Colombia and Italy, which has increased student numbers and created many great new friendships.

With other activities coming soon, including trips to the Ontario College of Art and outdoor mini-golf, TLG Toronto staff and students will enjoy their summer to the full!

1312

LONDON

Students at TLG London have been taking part in a huge range of activities! They learned how to make beer at the Brew Club and were able to experiment with different flavours and techniques. They also visited iconic London areas, such as Notting Hill (famous for its carnival and rock-and-roll connections)and Hampstead Village. Students also had fun on our

pub nights and by learning salsa from Colombian students.

They also took an opportunity to practise English at a Language Exchange meeting at the Zoo Bar, making friends along the way.

SMART Learning also played a part in student activities, including a trip to the park to learn about different

cultures. When the topic was health, they visited Regent’s Park to play rounders. When they were learning about work and careers, they prepared job adverts, wrote CVs, and took part in practice job interviews – all in English.

Well done to all our students!

1413

TLG TORONTO AND TLG LONDON Go Out & About

tlg times summer

Documents